Mature, brick-hued mahogany; fine early bouquet of sweet mature ‘caramel’ merlot; rich, supple, fleshy middleweight Petrus with a freshly defining acidity; ripe, easy, flowing wine, long and flattering to taste, a gentle racy complexity, with a light minerality behind the ripeness and flesh and really fine length; burgundian in its overall ease of flavor, with a (notable) generosity of ripe fruit in the context of the vintage. That abundant fruit presence makes this most satisfying already, a noticeably early maturity for the property. Better, of course, with more time in bottle. 2016 – 40+ [M Schuster March 2014]

Deep medium red. Subtly complex aromas of mulberry, red cherry, toffee, caramel, iron and flowers. A bit narrow on entry, then expands in the middle palate without any loss of focus. A very firmly built, vibrant and classy 2004 with a tight mineral core and ineffable spice character. This is by far the most backward 2004 in the Moueix portfolio. Finishes with terrific aromatic persistence and subtlety. This will surely evolve in the direction of toffee and truffle and may ultimately merit an even higher rating. May 2007

Offers crushed berries, with chocolate and light vanilla. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit, silky tannins and a caressing texture. Very harmonious and pretty, with a balanced palate.

The dark plum/ruby-tinged 2004 Petrus possesses high acidity as well as copious amounts of sweet cherries and black currants intermixed with hints of cola, earth, and truffles. Deep, medium-bodied, concentrated, ripe flavors are excruciatingly firm and tannic. This backward, structured, muscular Pomerol requires a decade of cellaring, but it possesses the potential to be the longest lived wine of the vintage, lasting 30-40 years. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035.

The 2004 Petrus is not one of the strongest wines of the decade, though it remains a fine Pomerol. The bouquet does not hold back with splendid fruit concentration: floral top notes with pressed violets and shaved black truffles, traits I observed in previous bottles. The palate is gracefully moving into its secondary phase with touches of tobacco and warm gravel infusing the red fruit. However, there is a conservative element to this Petrus that opts to play it safe. You do not feel as if it will evolve into something more, which begs the question whether you should continue cellaring it? I see no harm in pulling bottles now, larger formats later. July 2020